More Aboriginal people live in Canada's cities than on reserves or remote parts of the country. Several generations have grown in relative silence until recent years when the Aboriginal community and governments began in earnest to focus on their Urban Aboriginal issues and needs. This forum is here for you to provide useful and creative information to help address those needs. Let's share what works, not just what's wrong.

The Government of Canada announced today that it is investing $25 million in its Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) to build partnerships to better address the needs of urban Aboriginal people in Canada.

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-
Status Indians and Lead Minister for the UAS, together with Hon. Stephen Owen, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification) (Indian Affairs and Northern Development), officially launched the UAS Pilot Projects Initiative.

Over the next three years, the Government of Canada will work with provincial and municipal governments, local Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations and the private sector to develop innovative solutions to address local priorities in eight cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto and Thunder Bay.

"The UAS will contribute to breaking down barriers -- within the Government of Canada, between levels of government and at the community level - that have stopped us from achieving our best, said Minister Goodale.

"Aboriginal people living in cities offer the promise of a young and growing
population that can and must play stronger roles in making our cities and our country more vibrant and prosperous."

This approach recognizes that local communities are best placed to
develop solutions that meet their unique opportunities and challenges. It also recognizes that all governments, and the communities they serve, need to work together to address urban Aboriginal issues. It is with this in mind that the Government of Canada hopes to build strong and lasting partnerships.

"We are very pleased to be moving ahead with these innovative pilot
projects," said Secretary of State Stephen Owen. "They address needs that are unique to each community, and recognize the expertise of local partners. We are moving in the right direction to ensure that urban Aboriginal Canadians can more fully participate in their own economic destiny, and help shape Canada today and in the future."

The UAS Pilot Projects Initiative will test innovative ways that the
Government of Canada, in partnership with others, can address issues that are important to urban Aboriginal people. The lessons learned from these projects will help the Government of Canada determine how to address urban Aboriginal issues in the longer-term.

The UAS is a Government of Canada initiative that involves a number of
departments, including: the Privy Council Office, Human Resources Development Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Canadian Heritage, Health Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Justice Canada and the National Secretariat on Homelessness.

About fifty percent of Canada's Aboriginal population lives in urban
centres, with many Aboriginal people living in the larger urban centres. On a number of important indicators of personal and community well-being, urban Aboriginal people face challenges well in excess of those of the non-Aboriginal urban population.

Nevertheless, Aboriginal people living in cities offer the promise of a young and growing population that can and must play a stronger role in making Canadian cities and Canada more vibrant and prosperous. City life is an integral component of Aboriginal people's lives in Canada and Aboriginal people are an integral component of Canadian urban life.

On January 7, 1998, Gathering Strength: Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan
was launched as the Government of Canada's response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Under the theme, "Renewing the Partnerships", the Government of Canada established the Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in hopes of better addressing the serious socio-economic needs of Canada's urban Aboriginal population. The UAS was designed to improve policy development and program coordination at the federal level and with other levels of government.

Building on existing federal funding, the Government of Canada began to
reach out to others to discuss how it could support efforts on-the-ground
aimed at serving urban Aboriginal people. While the challenges facing many urban Aboriginal people remain, the UAS achieved successes in small but important ways. For example, the UAS contributed significantly to a greater awareness by governments and others concerning the circumstances facing urban Aboriginal people and this led to increased collaboration among governments.

But these efforts were not enough; more was needed.

UAS: Renewed and Enhanced
-------------------------

In September of 2002, the Government of Canada reaffirmed its commitment to the UAS in its Speech from the Throne, stating that: "In a number of cities, poverty is disproportionately concentrated among Aboriginal people.

The government will work with interested provinces to expand on existing pilot programs to meet the needs of Aboriginal people living in cities." Later, in its 2003 Budget, the Government of Canada matched its commitment by announcing that it was allocating $25 million over three years to support the UAS.

The bulk of UAS funding is being used to support pilot projects in eight
priority urban centres: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto and Thunder Bay. Cities were selected on the basis that they are Census Metropolitan Areas and the Aboriginal population (using 2001 Census Aboriginal identity data) is greater than 15,000 or at least 5% of the total population. The remaining UAS funding will be used to support local Aboriginal organizations to participate in the UAS, the work of regional federal officials and research.

The pilot projects are meant to test new ideas on how to better respond,
through partnership, to the local needs of urban Aboriginal people. The
Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial and municipal governments, local Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations, and the private sector to develop innovative solutions to address local priorities. The objectives of the UAS Pilot Project Initiative are:

- To respond more effectively to the needs identified by communities
using available mechanisms;

- To better align federal programs to both provincial programs and other
efforts to respond to local priorities;

- To test innovative policy and programming ideas;

- To gain a better understanding of what works and what does not and why;
and ultimately,

- To improve the socio-economic conditions of urban Aboriginal people.

UAS funding is available in the eight designated urban centres on the
basis of matched efforts from provincial governments and other non-federal sources (including municipal governments, private sector and non-governmental sources).

At the end of the three years, the UAS will be evaluated to determine the
effectiveness of the approaches and projects. This information will be used to identify and share lessons learned and provide advice for future directions.

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, in his capacity as the Federal Interlocutor
for Métis and Non-Status Indians, is the lead Federal Minister for the UAS. In this role, Minister Goodale works closely with a number of other Federal
Ministers who have programs and initiatives that serve to benefit urban
Aboriginal people, such as: homelessness, housing, employment, economic development, early childhood and young adulthood.

For further information: John Embury, Office of the Honourable Ralph
Goodale, (819) 997-5421; François Jubinville, Privy Council Office,
(613) 957-5072

On November 25, 2003, the Government of Canada contributed $911,883 towards 12 projects that address the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Steering Committee’s priorities of Youth, Health and Homelessness. Funding for the projects selected by the Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy Steering Committee is provided through the Urban Aboriginal Strategy and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

This organization will implement a program to prepare Aboriginal persons living with HIV/AIDS for employment through placement opportunities with partnering community businesses, agencies and groups. Activities will include training and mentoring on self care, grooming, communicating, public speaking, time management, money management, computer instruction, resume writing, interviews and volunteering.

Circle of Eagles Lodge Society operates a residential facility providing care and custody to Aboriginal men 19 years and older who have been conditionally released from federal institutions.

This organization will organize the 27th Annual Aboriginal Elders Gathering event that will draw representatives from almost every First Nation in B.C.. The event will provide a forum for bringing people together to share knowledge and ideas to create a healthier and stronger community and help to raise awareness of historical and emerging Aboriginal issues and opportunities for First Nations’ communities and off-reserve organizations.

Indigenous Media Arts Group has a mandate to encourage and facilitate the promotion, development and dissemination of First Peoples media arts, arts and culture through the coordination of film and video festivals, media workshops, panel discussions, media training.

With UAS funding, IMAG will launch a media arts training workshop for at-risk Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 25 living in Vancouver and the surrounding area. The program builds on IMAG’s experience of providing media arts employment training to Aboriginal youth and adults. In this project, eight youth will tell the story of health and healing related to their life stories in a four-month media arts training project. Youth will be participating in all aspects of the video production. As the final point, these media projects will be showcased at IMAG’s annual imagination film and video festival.

Warriors Against Violence Society is a social service agency that assists Aboriginal individuals and families dealing with family violence.

The society will improve their family violence reduction programs and develop their capacity to deliver additional programs to the Aboriginal community in the Lower Mainland. Using cultural knowledge to support wellness in the Aboriginal community, this project will strengthen the society’s ability to offer services that are relevant, innovative and effective in reducing family violence and homelessness. The project will provide tuition for the recipient’s staff and volunteers to attend courses at the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

The MPCBC represents the political, legal, social and economic interests of the Métis people in B.C. to local, provincial and federal levels of governments, funding agencies and other related bodies.

MPCB.C. will pilot an early childhood development program for children 30 months to five years of age, as well as provide family support strategies for families in crisis and strategies to empower families to become self-sufficient community members. MPCPC will tailor a program originally designed by the New Westminster Child Development Centre Ltd. to meet the needs of Aboriginal teen parents and their children.

VNHS will set up a child-friendly facility in their largest family housing complex, and with it a sustainable after-school program for Aboriginal children between the ages of six to 10 years. The project will entail hiring a qualified Aboriginal staff to plan and implement the service as well as promoting health and wellness through the programming. This project will provide volunteer and mentoring opportunities for youth and elders residing in the VNHS housing.

The Red Road HIV/AIDS Network Society is a provincially based Aboriginal organization comprised of Aboriginal AIDS Service Organizations (ASO), non-Aboriginal AIDS Service organizations who have Aboriginal programs, Aboriginal Persons living with HIV/AIDS (APHA), and Aboriginal community-based organizations who have HIV/AIDS programs, located in urban and rural British Columbia.

The society will increase awareness and education on HIV/AIDS in the Greater Vancouver area. In particular the project will target groups such as sex trade workers and injection drug users in the Downtown Eastside community, providing a comprehensive, on line HIV/AIDS resource directory including descriptions of services offered, hours, costs, websites, contact information, directories and maps. Gaps in services for on and off reserve Aboriginal communities in the Greater Vancouver area will be identified by an online HIV/AIDS Epidemiology resource. Moreover, a comprehensive HIV/AIDS education resource will be developed containing a listing of up-coming presentations, workshops, and conferences.

The UNNS is a provincial non-profit organization incorporated in 1969 in the Province of B.C.. It carries out programs consistent with those of a charitable organization for relief of poverty among the Aboriginal Peoples in B.C..

UNNS is implementing the first phase of the Integrated Urban Family Reunification Services System (IUFRSS). This project will collect and define various business plan requirements in order to implement IUFRSS, which will compile statistics on Aboriginal people separated by adoption and foster care. UNNS will use this collective data to develop education and training materials to promote awareness on the issues of separation and reconnection of Aboriginal families.

9) Helping Spirit Lodge Society, K'UK KA ÉLAN Wind Song ($76,328):

Helping Spirit Lodge is a 33-bed transition house primarily for Aboriginal women and children who have experienced family violence. The house is staffed by Aboriginal personnel and operates along traditional Aboriginal lines.

This organization will pilot a unique peer outreach concept for street-entrenched Aboriginal men and women who are homeless or at-risk and who, for many reasons, do not or cannot use existing supports and services. K'uk Ka Elin Wind Song will use trusted peers to reach and assist street-entrenched Aboriginal men and women to improve their quality of life on the street; create an environment of peer support; offer tools to create a better life and reduce the urban Aboriginal death rate that is directly related to homelessness.

The goal of the SACS is to establish and operate an Aboriginal cultural centre within Surrey, providing information and referral services, a youth recreation program, a family support worker, and employment development activities.

With UAS funding, the centre will set up an Elder’s lodge within the Kla-how-eya Aboriginal Centre that will serve as a place of interaction between the elders and the larger Aboriginal population where cultural exchanges will be stimulated.

The goal of the SACS is to establish and operate an Aboriginal cultural centre within Surrey, providing information and referral services, a youth recreation program, a family support worker, and employment development activities.

SACS will prepare a detailed plan for implementing the learn and earn program, an alternative education program for Aboriginal youth in the Surrey area, developing working agreements with partners, develop, comparable curriculum and material for vocational preparation and cultural activities, as well as developing a management system for the program.

Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society is an organization committed to providing services to Urban Aboriginal Youth and Families.

With UAS funding, the organization will develop a structured program that provides a comprehensive foundation of skill development and support services for Aboriginal students to achieve their academic and personal goals. Youth will have an opportunity to learn leadership skills through outdoor adventure based education. Their leadership skills will then be put to use in a practical setting that will provide role modeling and support to younger youth in Burnaby high-schools. The Arrows mentorship program will use the skills of older Aboriginal youth to provide younger Aboriginal students with leadership and mentorship.

Im with a group called Living Positive most of our clients are Aboriginal in order to serve them better, I feel I need to recognize their needs and understand their questions. All the clients are HIV are have AIDS but what I need to know is how their community is helping them to survive and what they are doing to help them.
thank you